I've seen some guides in the Alps and on Rainier put 6-7 people on one rope, with just a few feet between people, and pretty much drag them up and down the mountain caterpillar-style... Do they do the same in the Andes?

It depends on the guide service/mountain, but on Cotopaxi I seriously saw about a dozen people on one rope!

Given a choice between Huayna Potosi + Illimani, or Vallunaraju + Huascaran, which would the South American veterans here choose?

I like the idea of expedition climbing on Huascaran but the normal route is apparently in dangerous condition the last year or so? Then again I've heard about a sometimes impassable bergschrund on Illimani. Which is the better option for moderate but interesting climbs with a reasonable chance of success?

Buyer beware. Many if not most of the climbing accidents in this country stem from "guides" who are not certified and companies that will say anything to make a quick buck. These companies will take anyone virtually anywhere, as often happens to backpackers searching for adventure. So always ask for proof of certification, and in my opinion if it's not a UIAGM trained guide it's not worth it and only a handful exist. I would recommend testing the guide on Huayna Potosi or some other acclimation climb before paying in advance for other mountains. Having said all that, this is an amazing country and most climbers with international experience know these things apply almost everywhere.

Here you will find a list of all Bolivian guides and certifications, under Guias y Aspirantes. I can recommend Gonzalo Jaimes Rodriguez who is very competent on rock and ice and is director of the mountain school.

mtvalley wrote:Given a choice between Huayna Potosi + Illimani, or Vallunaraju + Huascaran, which would the South American veterans here choose?

I like the idea of expedition climbing on Huascaran but the normal route is apparently in dangerous condition the last year or so? Then again I've heard about a sometimes impassable bergschrund on Illimani. Which is the better option for moderate but interesting climbs with a reasonable chance of success?

Huayna Potosi and Vallunaraju are both peaks that can be climbed without experience. Success rates are high on both. Which one you'll enjoy most I find hard to say; I enjoyed both climbs, didn't have a view on Huayna Potosi though.

I found Illimani a lot easier than Huascarán, and I would be very surprised if the success rate for Illimani wasn't a lot higher too. Many people don't reach the summit of Huascarán Sur on their first try. I needed two attempts myself, but then I enjoyed climbing Huascarán a whole lot more.

Bolivia was in September 2009. We had no problems with a bergschrund anywhere. I found it a very fine climb, and overall pretty easy, actually.Huascarán Sur was in August 2011. The route in the icefall is always dangerous; there are many crevasses and you have to pass two dangerous avalanche zones. But it wasn't technically difficult. The crux was higher up: a steep section just below 6300m. Another potential problem: if there is no route above Garganta, finding a way up in darkness can be difficult, unless you have someone with you who has been up there earlier in the season.

I've emailed http://www.bolivianmountainguides.com for a trekking (i.e. Cordillera Real Fast) and a bit of a climbing trip (Parinacota), no reply yet though...I guess I'll also call today, is this usual for them not to answer?

I'm just a hiker with very little if any climbing experience so if they need to secure us with a rope up a small 30% climb Parinacota, they better know what they are doing...I got my own plastic and regular leather boots, but maybe they got better and I don't plan bringging a tent etc.

Also, what about some speficif requests, is it worth asking for services such as :a) Would the guide to Parinacota help carry extra water/tea (2-3 more liters), even a second pair of boots? For a gratuity of course

b) Would the "arrieros" (muleteers) that look after mules during trekking trips such as Coridellera Real object to carrying bottled drinking water for two persons? Worse comes to worst we'd pay for an extra mule etc.

I've asked Marco Soria from http://www.bolivianjourneys.org/ these questions, but he didn't answer them, instead he replied about porters being available to carry gear, just to clarify that of course I won't have a porter on Parinacota, just the guide.

Also he mentioned new prices if I don't pay now, without answering what those prices would be for May/June etc.

Basically communications with them can be a tad frustrating at times (even over the phone).

“Eduardo Mamani Quispe of Bolivian Mountain Guides. Eduardo was an excellent guide, hilarious person, and great trip leader. He rented us good, quality gear including a new north face 4-season tent, good plastic boots, and good climbing pro. Additionally, he went out of his way to make sure we had the food we wanted. Eduardo speaks a bit of English, but if you need to write emails in English, speak to his secretary: Miriam Centellas. Here is his contact information.

I’d appreciate suggestions about the hikes/climbs, so far the overall plan looks like:

a) A couple of days in Las Paz –talking to guides etcb) Cordillera Real Fast with a trekking/hiking company together with the wife (who’s used to decent hiking in Adirondacks and Alps).c) Parinacota for me, unless you have other suggestions? I hear this one is the easiest etc. Easier then “Huayna Potosi and Vallunaraju are both peaks that can be climbed without experience. Success rates are high on both. Which one you'll enjoy most I find hard to say; I enjoyed both climbs, didn't have a view on Huayna Potosi though.”

Or maybe we could replace b) Cordillera Real with something among the lines of:

I'll try to get points/coordinates out of Google Earth into my Garmin, if I can get a map for the GPS and also buy local maps there:

“1:50,000 scale maps are available at the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) in La Paz. There are two IGN offices in the city: one in the Miraflores district on Av. Saavedra 2303, Estado Mayor General Casilla 7641. The other is located in Oficina 5, Juan XXIII 100. Both IGN locations are shown on the map in the Lonely Planet, Bolivia

For a one day ascent at max 30% to Parinacota it might not be worth buying extra ones such as Salewa Pro Guide Boots, what do you think?I’d probably see what they have for renting in Las Paz instead (and I hope I can leave mine in storage at the hotel or somewhere at the guides office).

I've heard that since Steripen is not reliable in cold weather etc one should have a backup, i.e. my gravity filter, but then again, that one might get clogged in glacial run-off, which is very silty, like people indicated...

I’ve also heard that people don't charge the Steripen with the solar battery if they go out of 3-4 days? I plan to use the solar panel, just in case(well buy one with a solar panel and maybe a prefilter).

I'd take iodine and some crystals to change its taste with me on top of the above two...

I climbed Parinacota (along with some other peaks) with Bolivian Journeys back in August and can probably answer a fair number of your questions. We used Bolivian Journeys and I found Marco to be pretty helpful. Our lead guide, Eulogio, was quite competent. In general, Marco was pretty good about organizing things but there were a few things lacking (for instance, the second "guide" was actually a cook), so I think I would give them a cautious recommendation. Certainly, you could wait until you arrive in La Paz and organize a trip once you get there- that is certainly cheaper than using Bolivian Journeys for instance but with a little more uncertainty about guides etc.

As far as your plans, the main things to know are that Parinacota is really just a hike but at high altitude and very cold. You would not want to wear leather boots for it. I would just rent plastics in La Paz (bolivian journeys had boot to rent). I doubt your guide would carry gear for you. As far as water purification, we always just bought bottled water in town and then the cook would boil water when we were camping. We never used water purifiers. Keep in mind that most people climbing Parinacota just stay in a small hotel in Sajama and climb it in a day (you can buy bottled water in Sajama). If you use donkeys in the Cordillera Real, I'm just you could bring bottled water as they probably just charge by weight or per donkey.

Feel free to ask if you have more questions. If you go to splattski.com and hunt around you can see the trip report

I don't know anything about maps. We didn't use them.

The hotels in La Paz will let you store you excess gear while you are out in the mountains.

We did a trek in the Cordillera as you described to help acclimate. Pico Austria looked nice but we did not climb it. Pequeno Alpamayo is a spectacular climb but keep in mind that it is more a climb than a hike.

We also did a day trip up to Chacaltaya which was nice.

I think you probably want to acclimate for at least a week before trying Parinacota. Maybe spend a day or two visiting Lake Titicaca.

Hello Fruitflyman, Great project you have! I have been in contact several times with Eric - http://goo.gl/C32RCv - a Peruvian certified mountain guide who organises many expeditions and tours in Peru. Most of the tours are leaded by his father, Juventino, http://goo.gl/ijXJvL, IFMGA certified mountain guide. These guides are local and the best ones because they have been trained according to the international mountaineering standards. You should get in touch with them directly and see with them how they could help you in organising the different ascents you want. Good luck !!!